Trying to keep a long and storied musical tradition alive is not an easy task for performers to undertake. There are few acts today that are able to understand and appreciate their musical predecessors. With comparisons to the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, and the Corries, The Spain Brothers know their musical history. And with an energy not witnessed in some time, they are ready to take the Irish song tradition to a new generation.

Second generation performers, Mickey and Liam Spain grew up listening to songs at the knee of their father in the mill town of Manchester, NH. Hearing songs by such diverse acts as The Weavers, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Woody Guthrie and Doc Watson, The Spains Were able to take the common elements in all and fuse them into a style all their own.

Mickey's baritone voice, as strong and pure as any in the business, and deft work on the guitar and bodrhan provide this duos sturdy framework. Around this, Liam's endless skills on the guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica finish the picture as only a true artist can. Together they produce a sound that is original, yet still steeped in the song tradition.

Their live performances have been called an "energetic" and "electrifying" mixture of Irish, Scottish, and American folk songs.

In the five years that they have been performing together, they have shared the stage with The Wolfe Tones, the Makem Brothers, and The Dublin City Ramblers, as well as countless others. They have performed in hundreds of venues along the eastern seaboard and have recorded a debut CD, "Heroes and Rogues," that is receiving critical acclaim as well as crossover radio play on Bluegrass, Irish, and Folk stations across North America.

Press Quotes:

"The Spain Brothers are playing a well chosen hand of cards, but their opening hand is a promising one, and they are an act to watch out for."
"They have strong full bodied harmonies and a hearty enthusiasm for their chosen material."
"Their singing is strongly reminiscent of Liam and the late Paddy Clancy."
"The comparisons are obvious to the Clancy Brothers/Corries mix of multi instrumental versatility with an added touch of backwoods Americana."
-Folk Roots, London, UK

"The Spain Brothers debut release, Heroes and Rogues, proves that there is plenty of life in those old songs to sustain new generations of fans."
"Their songs...are played with an unexpected level of freshness and energy."
"Banter is in the Spain Brothers blood, and so is the music."
-The Boston Sunday Globe

"Not only are The Spain Brothers accomplished musicians with a great repertoire, but the energy with which they play and sing, and the enjoyment they exude in doing so, is both refreshing and infectious. They are electrifying as live performers, and they have a great CD."
"The Spain Brothers, a robust and enormously talented duo."
-John Nolan, Editor, Rochester and Dover Times

"In the Tradition of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, The Spain Brothers have delivered an album of rousing songs that defy you to sit and listen in silence."
"Marked by the bold confident voices of Mickey and Liam Spain, Heroes and Rogues features spirited versions of some old and some new songs."
"Heroes and Rogues...A Sterling debut."
-Roland Goodbody, WUNH Radio

"Liam and Mickey Spain were born and raised in New England, but you'd never know to hear them that they weren't immigrants from the ould sod. Mickey sings lead with a sweet baritone voice that he can make raucous or rebellious as the selection warrants. Liam sings the kind of Harmony that is only achievable if two singers have sung together all their lives."
-Mike Miller, the Philadelphia Folk Song Society

"I thoroughly enjoyed the Spain Brothers rendition of Flower of Scotland, and I know Roy, as I am, would have felt really gratified that the popularity of his song is continuing to spread so far in the world."
-Ronnie Browne, The Corries

"The Spain Brothers are one of the most dynamic and energetic groups to enter the Irish song scene today. They will undoubtedly become staples of this genre sooner rather than later."
-Mike Dwyer, Fosters Daily Democrat

"They have a great folk sound."
-Jim Larkin, Sounds of the Emerald Isle, WBET Radio